Gothbench II (V2.0) Copyright ©1997 by Ian M. Dixon. All rights reserved. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- LEGAL JARGON: All data files and documentation are Copyright ©1997 by Ian Dixon. All rights reserved. Gothbench is a freeware distribution. Gothbench II is freely redistributable, meaning you may distribute it, provided this archive is intact and unaltered, and no copying fee is charged beyond the cost of media. It is not to appear on any commercial release or commercial freeware/shareware compilation without my written consent. I hereby give permission to Fred Fish, and the compilers of the Aminet CD-ROMs. Nothing in this distribution is permitted to be used for commercial purposes, or for HTML documents on the World Wide Web, even if the Web site is non-commercial, without my written (or e-mailed) consent. NO LIABILITY IS ASSUMED FOR DAMAGES RESULTING FROM THE USE OR ABUSE OF THESE DATA FILES OR ANYTHING INCLUDED. All trademarks appearing in this document belong to their respective owners. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- What is Gothbench? Gothbench II is a new collection of Workbench wallpaper patterns, and 4 and 16 color pointers designed to give your desktop a darker look and feel. I looked at the preview for MagicWB, having heard much about it and was a little dissatisfied. The palette was way too bright for my personal taste, and the patterns looked a little dull, so I just made a palette that worked well with the icons in more and more Aminet releases. And once having been a computer art major anyway, designed background patterns, and so forth. I worked so hard on this project and, if I may say so myself, was so happy with the results that I decided to polish it up a little bit and release it as freeware. This is, obviously, the second edition, with all-new patterns and a few retouched ones from the first release, all in beautiful 256-color or 256- greyscale mode. There is a JPEG preview picture in the main directory with thumbnails of all the wallpaper patterns. (Except the ones in the "Bonus" directory.) The sound files have been withheld from the Aminet release due to Aminet restrictions on copyrighted material, apparently even under the "Fair Use" clause. They are available on the Gothbench homepage, both as a separate add-on archive, and along with the other files. I've included a couple of (cheezy, I know) ankh pointers in the "Bonus" directory, along with some lesser quality (and possibly cheezy) backdrops I did. I don't claim responsibility for the contents of this directory, and officially have no idea how it got there. ----- Requirements: Gothbench II requires at least AmigaOS V2.0 and 512K of chip memory. AmigaOS V3.0 or greater, AGA and/or a true-color display card, and a hard drive are highly recommended. ----- Installation: (NOTE: Backup your "SYS:prefs" drawer first.) Sorry, there's no installation script, as I don't have any docs on Installer. AmigaOS3.0+: 1) Move the main directory to anywhere on your hard-disk or floppy. (A good place is in SYS:Prefs/Presets) 2) Run WBPattern in your Workbench Prefs drawer. 3) Select Type:Picture and select a backdrop for your Workbench from the GothbenchII/New drawer. (A few "bonus" patterns not on the preview picture are in GothbenchII/Other.) 4) Select Placement:Windows, Type:Picture, and select a backdrop for disk/drawer windows from the Gothbench/Patterns drawer. Click Save. *5) Run Prefs/Sound, and make sure Make Sound and Sound Type: Sampled Sound are selected. *6) Click on Select Sample and pick a sound from Gothbench/Sounds to play. * Sound files are not included in the Aminet release. Get them from the homepage. 7) If you want to make MUI run as slowly as possible, you can use the backgrounds for MUI windows, sliders, and the like, by setting the MUI preferences accordingly. 8) Reboot. 9) Enjoy. Using Gothbench II with AmigaOS 2.05 and earlier: (Note: I highly recommend using Gothbench I, but you're welcome to try.) To use the background patterns, try using Tapete, available on Aminet. However, I believe you'll have to dither them down to your Workbench palette, with a good paint or image processing program. (And they probably won't look all that spectacular. Specular, maybe.) -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Uninstallation: To uninstall, just copy the contents of the backup drawer back to env-archive and delete the Gothbench II directory. If you didn't make a backup of your old settings, well, enjoy making them all over again, for the very first time. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- TROUBLESHOOTING: Problem: I don't enjoy having Gothbench II on my system. Solution: You didn't install it properly. See installation step 9. If you are unable to complete step 9, see "Uninstallation" above. Problem: The patterns look grainy and/or flat. Solution: Set your Workbench so that it has at least 256 colors. True color (24-bit) is even better. If these options aren't available, get a graphics card, an AGA Amiga, or Gothbench I, which looks much better on older Amigas. Problem: Ecchh... these are way too dark. I want some cheery patterns. Solution: Sorry, you'll have to look elsewhere. SwirlyGirly is about as cheerful as my patterns get. You might try inverting the palettes, but if you're a Goth, I don't recommend this. Goths trying this have shrivelled up from overexposure to pastel- colored light. (Anyway, what did you expect from GOTHBench? Clear sunny skies and rainbows?) Problem: I have no drawer called "env-archive" on my C: drive. Solution: Get the PC version. It requires at least Win3.1, but some features require Win95. Problem: I have no directory called "env-archive" on my /dev/foobar Unix filesystem. Solution: I have converted the tiling backgrounds to .XPM pixmaps and released them as the xgoth distribution. Get xgoth-1.0.tar.gz from the Gothbench homepage. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Plea for help: I would like to include some outline fonts, but I don't have the facilities for converting TrueType fonts to Amiga outline fonts. If anyone has a fairly "recent" copy of Typesmith or some other capable program, I would greatly appreciate it if you would convert some for me. (Mail me if interested.) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ License: Gothbench II is Gothware. If you make use of it, you must wear black all day the day after you install it and mope around a lot. Goth makeup will get you a free upgrade and a lot of second looks. (For those who asked, a free upgrade consists of any new backdrops I might have made. Check out the homepage.) It is not permitted to use the background patterns on the World Wide Web without my written consent. (Ask. I'll probably say yes, unless your site is commercial. Try and decipher "Legal Jargon" for more detailed info.) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Questions and comments to: EMail: pentex@citynet.net (Try this first.) gothboy3@juno.com (If you get no reply or if it bounces.) -- IRC: BoySnstr (Boy Sinister) (I'm not on very often. Try Undernet or EFNet.) -- Shameless Plugs: WWW: The Gothbench/xgoth homepage: http://www.citynet.net/personal/pentex/gothbench/index.html Further Beyond Belief: http://www.citynet.net/personal/pentex/fbbelief/fbbelief.html -- GothCode: [GothCode 3.1A] GoCS2GD2 TJtTgMi PSaNaMo B10/29Bk cBk(Dbr)-s3 V6s M3p2w ZGoMezPunClb C8o a23- n5 b46 H177 g6A1193A m@Z4 w6Av3R r2I p52555Zz D57~6 sM7MSsYn k7BdS N0594H RzM*2 LusWV ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Thanks and kudos, in alphabetical order: Billy Williams ("Going for the warlock look, eh?") Carey Clevenger ("I love it when a *plan* comes together...") Caffeine (Who needs sleep when you've got coffee and Jolt?) Corpus Delicti (Roma! Rroommaa! Give ME the power, bay-bee!) Gary Galland ("The things you do when you're bored!") Jens Knutson ("Here they are, Dad!") for a great deal of help with this release (especially sounds and opinions) Kuyen, from DeVry Institute of Technology in Columbus, OH (I miss you.) Marilyn Manson, for singlehandedly inventing Gothic culture and music. (DISCLAIMER: That was a joke. Repeat, a bad, tired joke.) Mickey, from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. (She knew Bruce Campbell and Sam Raimi as a kid. I miss you too. Cheerio!) -- And a very special thanks to all the rednecks, intolerants, and other Goth-ophobes who can add a touch of hilarity and cynicism to an otherwise bad day. ("That's not the - usual - you, is it...?" - A RevCo drug store cashier, when I was buying nail polish and eyeliner, close to Halloween '96.)